Students Seek Increased Bursaries

Press, Volume C, Issue 29497, 26 April 1961, Page 18

Students Seek Increased Bursaries

Bigger university bursaries are being sought by the New Zealand Students’ Association. In a statement tire president of the association (Mr E. A. Woodfield) said the association had sent a letter to the Minister of Education (Mr Tennent) seeking immediate implementation of recommendations by the Parry Committee, which investigated university education. The committee suggested: An increase in the higher school certificate monetary award from £4O to £5O for full-time students: an increase in the higher school certificate boarding allowance from £5O to £lOO for fulltime students; the introduction of a special master’s degree award of £ 125 for full-time students: approval for the payment of the full higher school bursary to those full-time students who have gained university entrance and have passed three units of the B.A. or B.Sc. course or the equivalent in other courses in a previous year. “At the annual general meeting of the association held at Dunedin during Easter, delegates from all universities and agricultural colleges in New Zealand were most distressed that the Government had not yet taken any action on the bursary recommendations of the Parry report, which was presented more than a year

ago,” said the statement. “Particularly disturbing were reports from all constituents that many students would find great difficulty in continuing their full-time 1 studies this year on the pre- . sent level of bursary pay- i ments. “The association has stated : on a number of occasions ' that it believes increased ex- i penditure on university edu- i cation is essential for the ■ future well-being of New : Zealand. For this reason the 1 1 action arf the previous Gov- ' ernmerit' in increasing the 1 quinquennial grants, „ staff : salaries, research grants and so on, as recommended by the Parry committee, were i welcomed by students throughout the country. “It must be emphasised. -: 1 however, that fundamental to the case presented by the Parry committee in seeking i increased expenditure in i these fields were the economic and social arguments • with which it emphasised the pressing need for more i full-time students at our unii versities. These are arguments of general principle : that were widely accepted i throughout the community. ; “The association is firmly of the opinion that an in- . crease in bursary payments is 1 essential if full-time studies ■ are to be encouraged. This ; was also the view of the • Parry committee, as refer- ’ ences to its report makes ; clear. Other expenditure is ■ essential to provide adequate

facilities for students when they do attend full time, but surely the essential step must be to provide the initial encouragement for full-time study. “For a number of years the principle has been established that financial assistance to students is a. vital part of the State’s responsibility in ensuring that the best use is made of our educational facilities and that ail have equality of opportunity to use those facilities. If bursaries are not increased now this principle and the arguments of the Parry committee are being largely ignored. The likely consequences of this are extremely disturbing. “The likely high rate of withdrawal from full-time studies during this year demands urgent remedial action by the Government,” said the statement.